Satish Poonia, nominated for the Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan, has finally—albeit belatedly—been rewarded for his hard work. Throughout his political career, he faced significant political maneuvering by detractors; yet, undeterred, he successfully fulfilled every responsibility entrusted to him by the party—whether regarding Rajasthan affairs or his role as the state in-charge for Haryana. Poonia has emerged as a key Jat leader for the party. Jat politics holds significant sway across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Western Uttar Pradesh, and the party can leverage this to send a strong message across these regions. Elections are due in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in eight months.
Hailing from an RSS background, Poonia began his political journey during his student days by associating with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He effectively discharged various responsibilities within the state BJP unit. A pivotal turning point in his political career arrived in 2019 when he was appointed the Rajasthan BJP President. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to entrust him with this role came as a surprise at the time, given that a Congress government—led by senior leader Ashok Gehlot—was already in power in the state. The party had assigned Poonia a major responsibility to counter Gehlot. At that time, the state unit included several powerful figures, most notably former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Leading up to the 2018 elections, Raje had largely operated on her own terms; even the powerful central leadership in Delhi often found itself unable to override her decisions.
The Centre Wanted Shekhawat, but Raje Ensured the Role Went to Madanlal
Prior to the 2018 assembly elections, the party leadership had intended to appoint Union Home Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as the state president, but Raje succeeded in securing the role for Madanlal Saini instead. Although Raje exerted all her efforts to win the election, she failed to secure a victory for the party. This electoral defeat politically weakened Raje’s position. Until then, Punia was not a significant topic of discussion in Rajasthan politics. The search for a new state president began following Saini’s demise in June 2019. While the names of various stalwarts were being considered, the central leadership in Delhi decided to try something new by entrusting the responsibility to Punia, who hails from the Jat community.
Leaders assumed Punia wouldn’t achieve much, but things turned out differently…
Veteran leaders felt that since the elections were still four years away, Punia would be ineffective. However, Punia made the most of this opportunity. He remained undeterred by who was—or wasn’t—joining him, or by who might be running parallel campaigns. He simply picked up his bag and set out to tour Rajasthan, undertaking journeys and holding public meetings. He traveled alone, carrying nothing but the party flag. As the election year approached, it seemed likely that the party would contest the polls under Punia’s leadership, given the prominence he had gained through his hard work. He had carved out a distinct identity for himself, standing out even alongside heavyweights like former CM Raje, Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Rajendra Rathore.
Modi was displeased when reports regarding Punia’s removal reached him.
The Congress had sent a message to the Jat community by appointing Jat leader Govind Singh Dotasra as its state president. Punia was the BJP’s sole Jat face and fit well into the caste arithmetic; yet, he was suddenly removed from the presidency and replaced by CP Joshi. Joshi assumed the role under pressure, against his own wishes. The decision to appoint Joshi proved costly for the party. When the full report reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he expressed displeasure with the leaders who had lobbied for Punia’s removal. Rival leaders had feared that if the BJP won the election, Punia would become the Chief Minister. Ultimately, the PM took direct charge of the Rajasthan campaign and became the face of the election, leading the party to victory. However, the party suffered significant losses in Jat-dominated areas. While the BJP did win, the seat tally fell short of expectations, even though the party had fought the entire election on the plank of Hindutva. Although Poonia himself lost the assembly election, the BJP won several seats where he had campaigned. At the time, rumors circulated that certain BJP leaders had colluded with the Congress to ensure his defeat. Poonia was disheartened by this loss; he posted tweets on social media suggesting he might quit politics altogether.
Then, the Prime Minister Entrusted Him with Responsibility for Haryana
Following these events, Prime Minister Modi appointed him as the party’s in-charge for Haryana, entrusting him with a significant organizational role. Poonia never looked back after assuming this responsibility; the BJP achieved spectacular victories in both the assembly and local body elections in Haryana under his watch. He kept the party united. The party subsequently assigned him responsibility for the Bengaluru local body elections as well. While he toured every assembly constituency in Haryana after becoming the in-charge, he did not halt his activities in Rajasthan. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the BJP’s Poonia are two leaders in Rajasthan who tirelessly tour the state to strengthen their respective parties, driven by a selfless spirit. Both are regarded as exceptionally active leaders. Whenever Poonia speaks, he invariably describes himself as a “soldier of the party” who simply keeps working hard. Ultimately, however, his hard work did pay off.
